Is the Iraq invasion making unemployment look better?

[Robin Hood]

I just got my first unemployment check today, and have been looking for a job for a few weeks now. I have to say that there are NO jobs to look for, surely no life sustaining jobs. And it just hit me how much worst this jobs picture would look like if all those National Guards men/women were not in Iraq.

What would the unemployment numbers really be if the Iraq Invasion wasn't happening? Is Bush's policy of non-stop war part of his jobs for America plan? I just can't imagine the what the daily classifieds that I have to sift through would look like if all those national Guards people were home where they belonged.

[SuffragetteSal]

1. unemployment numbers spell fuzzy math

Good point. So, is the military counted as employed? That would definitely cook the books during war time...

[HawkerHurricane]

2. Military counts as employed

And National Guardsmen would have the jobs they left behind filled too; so there's another 100,000 employees whose jobs exist until they send the troops home...

[Robin Hood]

4. I can't imagine how much worst it will be if those 100,00 ever come home.

Not that I want them there in the first place. I would take an even suckier job market just to have them home where they belong, safe and sound.

[madrchsod]

3. that`s the problem that the guard and reserve

call ups present to employers. they can`t permanently fill these positions,although some will be filled with temps. the reserves,i think, have more highly skilled personal and are harder to replace temporarily. many public servant jobs are going unfilled-police,fire,pm,docs,nurses,etc. these are not filled and are not counted in employment figures. during Nam there were hundreds of thousands in the military but we still had industries back then,so unemployment-employment wasn`t a big problem as it is now. several times during the late 60-early 70`s i quit a job in the morning and had another the same day-try that now.....